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A hot sunny afternoon filled with joy, music and art is one of UTEP’s most recently practiced traditions. Miners gathered at The Fox Fine Arts Plaza, Sept. 6, to enjoy tunes and sunshine while chalking up the plaza with one-of-a-kind art. The floors were filled with color, chalk dust and beautiful drawings inspired by school spirit and upcoming festivities like Halloween.
Vincent Gonzales, an art education major, took the afternoon to relax and draw some of his most recent inspirations from popular horror films.
“I’m mostly inspired by the spirit of Halloween,” Gonzales said. “I know it’s a bit early for that, but I wanted to draw a popular character around that time and that’s Jason.”
To Gonzales, the afternoon was more than just drawing on floors, it was a chance for him to dive into his creativity and reflect on how art influences his life.
“It influences a huge part of my life, it’s why I’m here,” Gonzales said. “After starting as a history major, I quickly realized that art was my passion and I have decided to follow it and become an art teacher.”
The afternoon allowed students from different majors to take a break from the stress of the first week of school and reflect on what art means to them.
Destiny Valdez, a psychology major, spent her afternoon chalking up the plaza with school spirit. Valdez’s inspiration came from the UTEP logo, and in big blue and orange letters, she graffitied “UTEP” across the floor.
“I’ve been into graffiti a lot recently, so it’s what I’m trying to (do) here,” Valdez said. “I wanted to write my name, but the sunset reminded me of UTEP, and I just went with it.”
Although Valdez’s major is in psychology, art still has an enormous impact on her life.
“I see art in everything, it is everywhere, in our everyday life, I genuinely believe art is life,” Valdez said.
As the sunset, the floors of the Fox Fine Arts plaza kept receiving more and more colorful pieces of art.
On the other side of the floor Dina Aldo, a psychology major, was finishing her small doodles of flowers and stars.
“I came to relax so I spent most of the afternoon drawing some small flowers, plants, and the sun across the cement floor,” Aldo said. “I was mostly inspired by nature today, so I decided to doodle it.”
While finishing the last touches to her piece, Aldo shared the significance of art and how it influences her daily life.
“I think the world would be very boring without art, so you have to try to incorporate that anywhere you can,” Aldo said.
As the event ended, the floor became a photomontage of art reflecting UTEP’s student body’s creativity and diversity. Chalk the Plaza is an event that has allowed UTEP students to explore their creativity but most importantly has given them a safe space to express it.
R. Venus Urquiza is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]
